Mended (Lucian & Lia #3)(34)

Lee surprises a giggle out of me as he says, “You bet your ass, now answer the question.”

“Oh God,” I hold up my hand. “Please don’t answer that, Luc.” Then turning to Lee I add, “I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, but Lucian and I haven’t been together for that long. People have babies all the time without being married as you well know.”

He grimaces slightly at the last part of my sentence, even though I hadn’t intended it as a dig against him. Lucian, seemingly recovered from his shock, doesn’t attempt to shy away from Lee’s question. “I’d marry Lia this moment if it were up to me. I love her as I’ve never loved anyone else in my life. When I think of the future, she’s the one constant that doesn’t change.”

I go all soft and gooey inside. I stare at him with all the love I feel inside written on my face. He kisses me hard before returning to his meal. I’m ready to toss my napkin on the table and drag him off to find a justice of the peace. When Lee clears his throat, I turn to find him looking at Lucian in approval. It occurs to me then, that if men end up marrying someone like their mother, then I’ll quite possibly marry the man most like my father. Considering I’ve known of Lee’s existence for only a matter of months and have hated him for most of that time, it seems surreal that I’m sitting next to him with these thoughts. It really shows how very much my life has changed in such a short amount of time. I never thought I’d get to the point of sharing a meal with him, much less enjoy the mostly relaxed mood of this first official meeting. Clearing my throat, I manage to say, “Yes, well, we’ll see where the future takes us.”

Lucian gives me a quizzical look and I raise my lips to kiss his cheek. I don’t want him to think I’m brushing him off, but I also don’t want Lee to push him into some kind of shotgun wedding. He’s dealing with enough right now and doesn’t need this added pressure. And even though he’s—well, Lucian Quinn, I still feel confident in his feelings for me. No man would have stuck by my side through everything like he has for a casual relationship. We’re building a life together. Maybe we’re not doing it in the traditional order, but it’s working for us. “I love you,” I say simply. He seems to understand that those three words are both my promise and reassurance to him that we’re on the same page.

Lucian

I feel as if I’ve stepped into an alternate reality. I had been stunned to learn we were having breakfast with Lee Jacks. After the initial shock had worn off that she had a father who was very much alive and well, Lia hadn’t mentioned much about him. I’d certainly had no idea he’d been texting her a standing invitation to join him for a meal. That wasn’t the most surprising thing though because I knew he was anxious to get to know his daughter. She had been so angry with him, so the fact she decided to meet him this morning without telling me is astounding.

Of course, I would like Lia to build a relationship with him, regardless of how questionable his past appears to be. Hell, for that matter, his present has been open to a lot of speculation as well. I can’t find it in me to hold that against him though. I can only imagine the rage he felt at finding out he had a long-lost daughter and then discovering she had been abused. I had experienced some of that anger firsthand when he’d mistakenly thought I had hurt her. Lee might well be many of the things he’s been rumored to be through the years, but I can’t argue with the fact that he’s clearly captivated by his daughter. As she speaks passionately about her classes at school, he listens to her as if spellbound. Maybe he never thought he wanted a child, but now that he has one, he seems helpless to walk away. I understand fully the allure that is Lia Adams. We may be drawn to her in different ways, but there’s no denying I was riveted from the first moment I saw her, too.

Maybe the inherited combination of Lee’s drive and will to survive makes her the woman she is. He may have well saved her life without ever having known her. I don’t see a trace of Maria Adams in her. The bitter, cruel woman we met in the courtroom months ago is nothing like the vibrant love of my life sitting next to me.

I want to be angry with her for not telling me that Lee would be here this morning. I don’t like secrets. Even small ones tend to fester and destroy. I know that better than anyone does. My secrets had come close to ruining my life. The wonder of our morning thus far has mellowed my anger though. Seeing my child even through the fuzzy gray of the ultrasound picture was nothing short of miraculous. It is something I never thought would happen to me again. After Cassie, I believed my direction in life was set: Casual sex, no attachments, and certainly no happily-ever-after. I had convinced myself I didn’t need love or a family of my own. Those things seemed a sure path to heartache and I couldn’t deal with losing another love.

Now, here I sit next to my pregnant girlfriend, whom I love more than life and I’m envisioning things I never believed possible. I was young when Cassie was pregnant, but if I’m completely truthful, I could never picture us growing old together. Fuck, most days, I could barely imagine us making it until the next week without some disaster occurring. It was stressful, but I got used to living my life on a wire back then. “Expect the unexpected” were words I lived by. Cassie thrived on chaos. I would draw up inwardly when she had that gleam of a bipolar mania in her eyes. I almost preferred the depressive episodes—unless she spiraled too low, then that was a completely new set of problems.